Pet enclosure with dual axes swivel connector

ABSTRACT

A dual axes swivel connector for connecting various panels to assemble a pet enclosure is disclosed. The dual axes swivel connector allows panels of the enclosure to be reliably pivoted with respect to each other. The dual axes swivel connector may comprise first and second parts. The first part may be fabricated from a flexible material compared to the second part, whereas the second part may be fabricated from a more rigid material compared to the first part. The flexibility of the first part allows the first part to have a tighter fit with the wire rods. The second part has a looser fit with the wire rods but the rigidity of the second part compensates for the looser fit. When the first and second parts are interlocked, they create a tight fit which can reliably provide a hinge between the panels.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a divisional patent application of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 13/283,768, filed on Oct. 28, 2011 which isa continuation in part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/045,411,filed on Mar. 10, 2011, the entire contents of which are incorporatedherein by reference.

The present application is a divisional patent application of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 13/283,768, filed on Oct. 28, 2011 which isa continuation in part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/045,411,filed on Mar. 10, 2011, the entire contents of which are incorporatedherein by reference.

STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to a collapsible enclosure (e.g., petenclosure).

Pet or animal enclosures are commonly used to accommodate, confine ortransport pets or animals. Currently, prior art pet enclosures arefabricated from a wire frame wherein the various panels are hinged toeach other by way of Hartco clips. Hartco clips are wrapped aroundadjacent wires of adjacent panels so as to form a loop around theadjacent wires. The adjacent panels can pivot or rotate with respect toeach other due to the space provided in the enclosed loop.Unfortunately, the wires of the adjacent panels may bind within the loop(i.e., Hartco clip) when being rotated with respect to each other. Thewires contact each other within the Hartco clip and are inadvertentlywedged between the wires and the loop. Accordingly, the Hartco clipsprovide space for the adjacent wires but do not ensure that the adjacentwires will not bind against each other. When the wires bind against eachother in the Hartco clip, the adjacent panels cannot be stacked uponeach other.

An additional problem with prior art pet enclosures is that they arenoisy during transportation. By way of example and not limitation, asthe pet enclosure is transported in a car over a road or in a train overrailway, the Hartco clips vibrate against the wires of the panels of theenclosure and also allow adjacent wires to vibrate against each other.The vibration contact produces undesirable noise.

Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved animal or petenclosure.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The pet enclosure disclosed herein addresses the needs discussed above,discussed below and those that are known in the art.

The pet enclosure may have left, right, front, back, top and bottompanels which are stackable upon each other to fold the enclosure to acollapsed position. The user may unfold the enclosure to the erectedposition. In doing so, the various panels are pivoted about each otherby way of dual axes swivel connectors.

These dual axes swivel connectors may reduce noise as the pet enclosureis being transported in a car over a road. In particular, the panels maybe fabricated from a metallic material whereas the swivel connectors maybe fabricated from a plastic material. When the enclosure is traversedto the erected position, the various panels are generally supportedbetween each other by the swivel connectors. The swivel connectors whichmay be fabricated from a plastic material behave as shock absorbers orvibration dampeners to reduce the overall noise caused by the rattlingof the erected pet enclosure.

Additionally, when traversing the pet enclosure to the collapsedposition, the panels which are typically fabricated from a metallicmaterial generally do not bend. As such, the various panels must beoffset at different height elevations as measured from the bottom panelwhen being stacked upon each other and on top of the bottom panel. Ifthe adjacent panels are connected to each other through prior art Hartcoclips, adjacent wires of the adjacent panels are looped together asdiscussed in the background section above. Unfortunately, the adjacentwires and the prior art Hartco clips may bind against each otherpreventing rotation of the adjacent panels and preventing the adjacentpanels from being stacked upon each other at different heights. To thisend, the dual axes swivel connector facilitates offsetting of the panelsso that they may be stacked upon each other since the adjacent wires ofadjacent panels do not bind within the dual axes swivel connector.

Moreover, the dual axes swivel connectors may be unidirectional. Inparticular, the dual axes swivel connector is mounted to edge rods ofadjacent panels. Once the swivel connector is attached to adjacent edgerods of adjacent panels, it is not intended for the swivel connectors tobe removed. To this end, the swivel connectors may have a tapered medianthat separates the adjacent edge rods from each other and pushes therespective edge rods deeper into grooves of the swivel connector tomitigate withdrawal of the edge rods out of the connectors once the edgerods are disposed in the grooves of the swivel connector. Moreover,retaining walls of the swivel connector may be sufficiently wrappedaround the edge rods to mitigate pull out of the edge rods from theswivel connectors. Additionally, the tapered median prevents contactbetween adjacent edge rods of adjacent panels so that the edge rods donot bind or get stuck during pivoting of adjacent panels.

More particularly, a collapsible enclosure is disclosed. The enclosuremay comprise a first top dual axes swivel connector, a second top dualaxes swivel connector, a first bottom dual axes swivel connector and asecond bottom dual axes swivel connector wherein each of the connectorsmay have two grooves defining pivot axes generally parallel to eachother. The enclosure may further comprise a top panel having first andsecond side edge rods, a bottom panel disposed opposite to the top panelwherein the bottom panel may have first and second side edge rods, afirst side panel and a second side panel.

The first side panel may define top and bottom edge rods. The top edgerod of the first side panel may be pivotally attached to the first sideedge rod of the top panel with the first top dual axes swivel connectorso that the first side panel and the top panel pivots about the twopivot axes of the first top dual axes swivel connector. The bottom edgerod of the first side panel may be pivotally attached to the first sideedge rod of the bottom panel with the first bottom dual axes swivelconnector so that the first side panel and the bottom panel pivots aboutthe two pivot axes of the first bottom dual axes swivel connector.

The second side panel may define top and bottom edge rods. The top edgerod of the second side panel may be pivotally attached to the secondside edge rod of the top panel with the second top dual axes swivelconnector so that the second side panel and the top panel pivots aboutthe two pivot axes of the second top dual axes swivel connector. Thebottom edge rod of the second side panel may be pivotally attached tothe second side edge rod of the bottom panel with the second bottom dualaxes swivel connector so that the second side panel and the bottom panelpivots about the two pivot axes of the second bottom dual axes swivelconnector.

The enclosure may be traversed to a folded configuration wherein thefirst and second top and bottoms swivel connectors pivot to allow thefirst and second side panels to be positioned at different elevationswith respect to the bottom panel so that the first and second sidepanels and the top panel may be stacked upon each other.

The first side wall may be disposed between the second side wall and thebottom panel when the enclosure is in a folded configuration. Also, thetop panel may be disposed between the first and second side walls whenthe enclosure is in the folded configuration.

The top edge rod of the first side panel and the first edge rod of thetop panel may be disposed within the two grooves of the first top dualaxes swivel connector. The bottom edge rod of the first side panel andthe first edge rod of the bottom panel may be disposed within the twogrooves of the first bottom dual axes swivel connector. The top edge rodof the second side panel and the second edge rod of the top panel may bedisposed within the two grooves of the second top dual axes swivelconnector. Also, the bottom edge rod of the second side panel and thesecond edge rod of the bottom panel may be disposed within the twogrooves of the second bottom dual axes swivel connector.

The bottom edge rod of the first side panel may be at a higher elevationcompared to the bottom edge rod of the second side panel when theenclosure is in a collapsed position and wherein the first and secondside edge rods of the bottom panel are at the same elevation.

The first and second side panels and the top and bottom panels may befabricated from a metallic material and the dual axes swivel connectorsmay be fabricated from a plastic material for mitigating noise.

Additionally, a unidirectional dual axes swivel connector for pivotallyconnecting adjacent first and second panels having edge rods isdisclosed. The connector may comprise a first end portion having twogrooves which are operative to each receive one of the edge rods. Thefirst end portion may comprise a tapered median, a back wall, andretaining walls. The tapered median may urge the edge rods into the twogrooves. The tapered median may define a proximal end portion and adistal end portion.

The back wall may be connected to the distal end portion of the taperedmedian. The back wall may extend laterally outward from the distal endportion of the tapered median to limit insertion of the edge rods intothe two grooves.

The retaining walls may be connected to opposed distal end portions ofthe back wall. The retaining walls may be resilient so as to flexoutward upon inserting the edge rods between distal end portions of theretaining walls and the proximal end portion of the tapered median topermit traversal of the edge rods into the two grooves and to flexinward around the edge rods thereafter. The resilient retaining wallsmay extend about 180 degrees from the opposed distal end portions of theback wall to mitigate removal of the edge rods from the two groovesafter insertion. The distal end portions of the retaining walls and thedistal end portion of the tapered median defines entrance gaps of thetwo grooves.

The connector may further comprise a second end portion which may havetwo grooves which are operative to each receive one of the edge rods.The second end portion may be oriented in reverse to the first endportion for engaging the two grooves of the first and second endportions by rotating the connector with respect to the edge rods.

The second end portion may comprise a tapered median, a back wall andretaining walls. The tapered median may urge the edge rods into the twogrooves. The tapered median may define a proximal end portion and adistal end portion. The back wall may be connected to the distal endportion of the tapered median. The back wall may extend laterallyoutward from the distal end portion of the tapered median to limitinsertion of the edge rods into the two grooves. The retaining walls maybe connected to opposed distal end portions of the back wall. Theretaining walls may be resilient to flex outward upon inserting the edgerods between distal end portions of the resilient retaining walls andthe distal end portion of the tapered median to permit traversal of theedge rods into the two grooves and to flex inward around the edge rodsthereafter. The resilient retaining walls may extend about 180 degreesfrom the opposed distal end portions of the back wall to mitigateremoval of the edge rods from the two grooves after insertion. Thedistal end portions of the retaining walls and the distal end portion ofthe tapered median may define entrance openings of the two grooves.

A bridge may be attached to the tapered medians of the first and secondend portions with the first and second end portions gapped apart fromeach other. The entrance openings of the two grooves of the first endportion may be oriented about-face with respect to the entrance openingsof the two grooves of the second end portion. The retaining walls of thefirst and second end portions may have chamfered interior corners.

Moreover, a method of collapsing an enclosure is disclosed. The methodmay comprise the steps of stacking a left panel on a bottom panel and atop panel on a right panel; pivoting the stacked top panel and rightpanel on top of the stacked left panel and bottom panel; and rotatingfirst and second dual axes swivel connector, the first dual axes swivelconnector attached to the left panel and bottom panel, the second dualaxes swivel connector attached to the right panel and the bottom panelso that a bottom edge rod of the left panel is at a lower elevationcompared to a bottom edge rod of the right panel for permitting stackingof the left panel, right panel and top panel on top of the bottom panel.

In the method, the rotating step may comprise the steps of rotating thefirst dual axes swivel connector about a first side edge rod of thebottom panel in a direction opposite from a rotating direction of thesecond dual axes connector about a second side edge rod of the bottompanel for offsetting the left panel below the stacked top and rightpanels.

Moreover, a dual axes swivel connector for pivotally connecting adjacentfirst and second panels is disclosed. The first panel may have a firstrod. The second panel may have a second rod. The connector may comprisea first part having first and second grooves wherein the first groove isoperative to receive the first rod and the second groove is operative toreceive the second rod. The first part comprises a tapered median andfirst and second retaining walls. The tapered median directs the firstand second rods into the grooves and away from each other. The first andsecond retaining walls extend from the tapered median and wrap aroundthe first and second rods defining the first and second grooves. Thetapered median and the first retaining walls wrap around more than 180degrees around the first rod after insertion of the first rod in to thefirst groove. The tapered median and the second retaining wall wraparound more than 180 degrees around the second rod to hold the first andsecond rods in the first and second grooves after insertion of thesecond rod into the second groove.

The connector may further comprise an extension that protrudes out fromthe tapered median parallel to longitudinal axes of the first and secondgrooves. The longitudinal axes of the first and second grooves may beparallel to each other. The connector may further comprise a second parthaving an identical structure compared to the first part wherein thefirst groove of the second part is operative to receive the first rodand the second groove of the second part is operative to receive thesecond rod. The extension of the first part may be disposed between agap of the second part defined between first and second walls of thesecond part when an extension of the second part is disposed between agap of the first part defined between first and second walls of thefirst part for interlocking the first and second parts.

The connector may further comprise a second part which is identical tothe first part and can interlock with the first part.

The connector may further comprise an extension that protrudes out fromthe tapered median parallel to longitudinal axes of the first and secondgrooves. The extension may have a pawl. The longitudinal axes of thefirst and second grooves may be parallel to each other. The connectormay further comprise a second part having a tapered median and first andsecond retaining walls. The tapered median may direct the first andsecond rods into the grooves and away from each other. The first andsecond retaining walls may extend from the tapered median and wraparound the first and second rods defining the first and second grooves.The tapered median and the first retaining wall wrap more than 180degrees around the first rod and the tapered median after insertion ofthe first rod into the first groove to hold the first rod in the firstgroove after insertion of the first rod into the first groove. Thetapered median and the second retaining wall wrap more than 180 degreesaround the second rod to hold the second rod in the second groove afterinsertion of the second rod into the second groove.

The first groove of the second part is operative to receive the firstrod. The second groove of the second part is operative to receive thesecond rod. The extension of the first part is disposable between a gapof the second part defined between first and second walls of the secondpart. The pawl of the first part may engage the first and second wallsof the second part when the extension of the second part is disposedbetween a gap of the first part defined between first and second wallsof the first part for interlocking the first and second parts.

The extension of the second part may have a pawl for engaging the firstand second walls of the first part when the extension of the first partis disposed within the gap of the first part. The pawl of the extensionof the first part and the pawl of the extension of the second part mayextend from the distal end portions of the extensions of the first andsecond parts.

Longitudinal axes of the first and second grooves of the first part maybe coaxial with longitudinal axes of the first and second grooves of thesecond part when the first and second parts are interlocked with eachother.

First and second opposed interior surfaces of the tapered median mayeach have a semi-circular configuration.

The first and second distal ends of the first and second retaining wallsmay define the gap which is about equal to a diameter of the first rod.The first and second distal end portions of the first and secondretaining walls of the first part may have a V shaped configuration forguiding the first rod between the gap. Also, the tapered median may havea V shaped configuration.

A width of the extension of the first part may be about equal to a gapof the second part. Additionally, a dual axes swivel connector forpivotally connecting adjacent first and second panels wherein the firstpanel has a first rod and the second panel has a second rod isdisclosed. The connector comprises a first part and a second part.

The first part may have first and second grooves wherein the firstgroove is operative to receive the first rod and the second groove isoperative to receive the second rod. The first part may also comprise amedian and first and second retaining walls. The median may direct thefirst and second rods into the grooves of the first part and away fromeach other. The first and second retaining walls may extend from thetapered median and wrap around the first and second rods defining thefirst and second grooves of the first part.

The second part may have first and second grooves wherein the firstgroove is operative to receive the first rod and the second groove isoperative to receive the second rod. The second part may also comprise amedian and first and second retaining walls. The median may direct thefirst and second rods into the grooves of the second part and away fromeach other. The first and second retaining walls may extend from thetapered median and wrap around the first and second rods defining thefirst and second grooves of the second part.

The first part may be fabricated from a more rigid material compared tothe second part and may have a looser fit with the wire rods compared tothe second part.

The median of the first part may be narrower compared to the median ofthe second part.

The distal ends of the retaining walls of the first part may define anentry of the first part and distal ends of the retaining walls of thesecond part define an entry of the second part. The entry of the firstpart may be wider compared to the entry of the second part.

The first and second parts may each further comprise an extension thatprotrudes out from the median parallel to longitudinal axes of the firstand second grooves. The longitudinal axes of the first and secondgrooves may be parallel to each other. The extension of the first partmay be disposed between the distal ends of the first and secondretaining walls of the second part. Likewise, the extension of thesecond part may be disposed between the distal ends of the first andsecond retaining walls of the first part for interlocking the first andsecond parts.

The extensions of the first part may have a pawl that engages the secondpart to interlock the first and second parts. The extension of thesecond part may have a pawl that engages the first part to interlock thefirst and second parts. The pawl of the extension of the first part andthe pawl of the extension of the second part may extend from the distalends of the extensions of the first and second parts.

The longitudinal axes of the first and second grooves of the first partmay be coaxial with longitudinal axes of the first and second grooves ofthe second part when the first and second parts are interlocked witheach other.

The distal end portions of the first and second retaining walls of thefirst part and second part have a V shaped configuration for guiding thewire rod into the entry.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages of the various embodimentsdisclosed herein will be better understood with respect to the followingdescription and drawings, in which like numbers refer to like partsthroughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an enclosure in a collapsed position;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the enclosure shown in FIG. 1 beingerected;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the enclosure shown in FIG. 2 beingfurther erected;

FIG. 4 illustrates attaching a front panel of the enclosure to left andright side panels and the top panel of the enclosure to completeerection of the enclosure;

FIG. 5 is a front view of the collapsed enclosure shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 illustrates a first embodiment of a dual axes swivel connectorbeing inserted between edge rods of adjacent panels;

FIG. 7 illustrates edge rods of adjacent panels disposed within a gap ofthe connector shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 illustrates the connector shown in FIG. 7 mounted to the edgerods of adjacent panels;

FIG. 9 is a top view of the connector shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a cross sectional view of the connector shown in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a pen having a plurality of wire panelsrotatably connected to each other by way of the dual axes swivelconnectors;

FIG. 11A is a plan view of the pen shown in FIG. 11 in a collapsedconfiguration;

FIG. 12 is a front view of a gate or partition wherein a wire door isrotatably connected to a structure;

FIG. 13 illustrates a second embodiment of a dual axes swivel connectorwherein first and second parts of the second embodiment of the swivelconnector mates with each other;

FIG. 14 illustrates a first part of the second embodiment of theconnector shown in FIG. 13 wherein an edge rod of an adjacent panel isinserted into a groove of the first part of the second embodiment of theconnector;

FIG. 14A is a side view of the first part of the second embodiment ofthe connector shown in FIG. 14;

FIG. 15 illustrates edge rods of adjacent panels fitted within groovesof first and second parts of the second embodiment of the connector;

FIG. 15A is a side view of the first part of the second embodiment ofthe connector shown in FIG. 15;

FIG. 16 illustrates the first and second parts of the second embodimentof the connector when engaged to each other;

FIG. 17 illustrates a variation of the second embodiment of the swivelconnector with a widened median;

FIG. 18 illustrates another embodiment of the swivel connector.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings, a collapsible enclosure 10 is shown. Whenthe enclosure 10 is in storage or being transported, the enclosure 10may be traversed to the collapsed position shown in FIG. 1. During use,the enclosure 10 may be traversed to the erected position shown in FIG.3. FIG. 3 illustrates the erected position of the enclosure 10 withfront and back panels 12, 14 still in the folded configuration. Thevarious panels, namely, a bottom panel 16, left and right side panels18, 20 and top panel 21 may be rotatably connected to each other by wayof a dual axes swivel connector 22, 100. A first embodiment of the dualaxes swivel connector 22 is shown and described in relation to FIGS.1-12. A second embodiment of the dual axes swivel connector 100 is shownand described in relation to FIGS. 13-17. It is also contemplated thatthe front and back panels 12, 14 may be rotatably connected to thebottom panel 16 by way of the dual axes swivel connector 22, 100.

Referring now to FIG. 8, the dual axes swivel connector 22 has a firstpivot axis 24 and a second pivot axis 26. The first and second pivotaxes 24, 26 are separated by a median 28. In this manner, adjacent edgerods 30 of adjacent panels 21, 18, for example, generally do not contacteach other as the adjacent panels 21, 18 are rotated about each other.The swivel connectors 22 may be attached to adjacent edge rods 30 of anytwo adjacent panels 12-21. Since the edge rods 30 are separated by themedian 28, the enclosure 10 does not bind as the enclosure 10 is beingtraversed from the collapsed position to the erected position, and viceversa. Moreover, the swivel connectors 22 may be fabricated from aplastic material whereas the various panels 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 and 21may be fabricated from a metallic material. In this manner, the plasticswivel connector 22 may behave as a shock absorber reducing noise whenthe enclosure 10 is being transported in cars, trains, etc. (i.e.,vibration induced environments). Additionally, the swivel connector 22may be sufficiently wrapped around the edge rods 30 so as to mitigatepull out of the edge rods 30 from the connectors 22. Moreover, themedian 28 of the swivel connector 22 may be tapered so that the edge rod30 is pushed into groove 32, 34 and is pushed sideways and is seateddeep within the groove 32, 34 as shown in FIG. 10. When attempting toremove the edge rods 30 from the connector 22, the swivel connector 22may be pivoted or pushed in direction of arrow 36. When the swivelconnector 22 is pushed in the direction of arrow 36, the edge rods 30contact distal end portions 38 of retaining walls 40 of the swivelconnector 22 to increase pull out force required to pull rods 30 out ofgrooves 32, 34 of connector 22. The tapered median 28 pushed the edgerods 30 deeper into the grooves 32, 34 so that the distal end portions38 of the retaining walls 40 may be positioned at a center of the edgerods 30 to prevent or mitigate withdrawal of the edge rods 30 from theswivel connector 22. Accordingly, the swivel connector 22 may be aunidirectional connector 22.

Referring now back to FIG. 1, the enclosure 10 may be transported in acollapsed position. In the collapsed position, the front panel 12, backpanel 14, left side panel 18, right side panel 20 and the top panel 21are all stacked upon the bottom panel 16 in a compact configuration. Thecollapsed enclosure 10 may be packaged and sold to customers who canthen later erect the enclosure 10 for use. To erect the enclosure 10,the right side panel 20 and the top panel 21 may be pivoted outward indirection of arrow 42, as shown in FIG. 2. After the top panel 21 andthe right side panel 20 are folded over in direction of arrow 42 (seeFIG. 2), the top panel 21 may be raised up so as to traverse theenclosure 10 into the configuration shown in FIG. 3. The left and rightside panels 18, 20 are disposed generally perpendicular with the bottompanel 16 and the top panel 21. Swivel connectors 22 are used to attachthe top panel 21 to the left side panel 18, the left side panel 18 tothe bottom panel 16, the bottom panel 16 to the right side panel 20 andthe right side panel 20 to the top panel 21.

The front and back panels 12, 14 may be raised up and interlocked to theleft and right side panels 18, 20 and the top panel 21, as shown in FIG.4. The wire frame of the front and back panels 12, 14 may be wrappedaround an edge rod 30 of the bottom panel 16 as shown in FIG. 3.Moreover, it is also contemplated that the front and back panels 12, 14may be rotatably connected to the edge rod 30 of the bottom panel 16 byway of the dual axes swivel connector 22. The front and back panels 12,14 may have hooks 42, as shown in FIG. 4. Additionally, the left andright side panels 18, 20 may have hooks 44. Edge rods 30 of the frontand back panels 12, 14 may initially be received into the hooks 44. Thehooks 42 of the front and back panels 12, 14 are pulled beyond the edgerods 30 of the top panel 21 and the hooks 42 are hooked onto the edgerods 30 of the top panel 21.

To traverse the enclosure 10 to the collapsed position, the steps arereversed. In particular, the front and back panels 12, 14 are collapsedback onto the bottom panel 16 as shown in FIG. 3. The left side panel 18is folded onto the stacked front panel 12, back panel 14 and bottompanel 16 while the top panel 21 is stacked upon the right side panel 20.In rotating the various panels 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 and 21 about eachother, the edge rods 30 of each of the panels 12-21 swivel within thedual axes swivel connectors 22. The edge rods 30 of the panels 12-21generally do not contact each other because the median 28 of theconnectors 22 are disposed between the edge rods 30 of the adjacentpanels 12-21. Accordingly, during movement and folding of the variouspanels 12-21 to traverse the enclosure 10 from the collapsed position tothe erected position and vice versa, the edge rods 30 do not bindagainst each other.

The stacked top panel 21 and right side panel 20 are then folded overonto the left side panel 18. The swivel connectors 22 prevent anykinking of the enclosure 10.

The panels 12-21 may be fabricated from a metallic material such assteel, aluminum, etc. Accordingly, the panels 12-21 may have a matrix ofvertical and horizontal wires/rods so that the panels 12-21 aregenerally rigid. The panels 12-21 may flex slightly for the purposes oferecting the front and back panels 12, 14; however, the panels 12-21 aregenerally rigid. To this extent, the stacking of the various panels12-21 on top of each other as shown in FIG. 1 may be accomplished byoffsetting the various panels 12-21 with the aid of the dual axes swivelconnectors 22. The dual axes swivel connectors 22 provides a definite orguaranteed separation between adjacent wires of adjacent panels 12-21 sothat the adjacent wires and the dual axes swivel connectors 22 cannot bewedged against each other preventing rotation of the adjacent panels andstacking of the panels as in the prior art Hartco clips. Referring nowto FIG. 5, a front view of the collapsed enclosure 10 is shown. As canbe seen, the bottom panel 16 may generally have a U-shaped configurationwhich extends from edge rod 30 a to edge rod 30 b. The left side panel18 is offset downward by pivoting the dual axes swivel connector 22 a tothe down position. The left side panel 18 may rest on top of the bottompanel 16. The top panel 21 is now stacked upon the left side panel 18.To this end, the swivel connector 22 b is pivoted upward to offset thetop panel 21 above the left side panel 18. The right side panel 20 maybe offset on top of the top panel 21 by way of swivel connector 22 c.Swivel connector 22 d raises the right side panel 20 above the top panel21 and left side panel 18. In this manner, edge rods 30 a, b of thebottom panel 16 may be at the same height elevation yet allow stackingof the panels 18, 20 and 21 upon each other since the dual axes swivelconnectors 22 a-d allow the various panels 18, 20, 21 to be offset.During manufacture and assembly of the enclosure 10, no specialinstructions are necessary thereby reducing assembly cost whenassembling the left and right side panels 18, 20 to the bottom panel 16since they may be mirror configurations of each other.

Although the edge rods 30 a, b have mirror configurations, it is alsocontemplated that either one of the edge rods 30 a or 30 b may bedisposed at a higher elevation to the other to allow for additionaloffset space so that the various panels 18, 20, 21 may be stacked uponthe bottom panel 16.

Referring now to FIG. 6, the dual axes swivel connector 22 is shown. Thedual axes swivel connector 22 may be mounted to adjacent edge rods 30 ofadjacent panels 12-21. The connectors 22 may have distal end portions44, 46 which may be identical but mirror reversed images of each other.In particular, the distal end portion 44 has grooves 32, 34 that arecoaxial to grooves 32, 34 of the distal end portion 46. The grooves 32,34 of the first and second distal end portions 44, 46 may also beparallel with respect to each other. However, the groove openings 52, 54face opposite directions, as shown in FIGS. 6-8. This is to allow theedge rods 30 of adjacent panels 12-21 to be inserted into the grooves32, 34 upon rotation of the connector 22.

To install the connector 22 to the edge rods 30, the swivel connector 22is inserted between adjacent edge rods 30 as shown in FIG. 6. Theconnector 22 is pushed until the edge rods 30 of adjacent panels 12-21are aligned to a gap 48 between the first and second distal end portions44, 46, as shown in FIG. 7. The distal end portions 44, 46 may beattached to each other by a bridge 50 (see FIG. 6). The bridge 50connects the medians 28 of the first and second distal end portions 44,46. When the edge rods 30 are aligned to the gap 48, the swivelconnector 22 is rotated either in the clockwise or counterclockwisedirection, as shown in FIG. 7. In FIG. 7, it is shown that the swivelconnector 22 is rotated in the clockwise direction. Grooves 32, 34 ofthe first and second distal end portions 44, 46 have their openings 52,54 aligned to the edge rods 30. The swivel connector 22 may now berotated in the direction of arrow 56 so that the edge rods 30 are forcedinto the openings 52, 54 of the first and second distal end portions 44,46 and into the grooves 32, 34 of the first and second distal endportions 44, 46 at the same time. (See FIG. 8). To assist in theinsertion of the edge rods 30 into the grooves 32, 34 of the first andsecond distal end portions 44, 46, the retaining walls 40 may haveoptional chamfers 58 (see FIG. 9) at a proximal portion adjacent the gap48. Only one chamfer 58 is identified in FIG. 9, but each of theretaining walls 40 are shown as having the chamfer 58. When theconnector 22 is rotated in the direction of arrow 56 (see FIG. 7), theedge rods 30 push against the chamfer 58 and urge the retaining walls 40outward so that the edge rods 30 can enter the grooves 32, 34. In itsfinal position, the edge rods 30 are disposed within the grooves 32, 34as shown in FIG. 8. Adjacent panels 12-21 may now be pivoted withrespect to each other about two different axes 24, 26 to allow foroffsetting of the various panels 12-21 to allow stacking of the variouspanels 12-21 upon each other and allow for a collapsed configuration ofthe enclosure 10.

Referring now to FIG. 10, the edge rods 30 are pushed into the grooves32, 34. The retaining walls 40 are spread open to allow the edge rods 30to be inserted into the grooves 32, 34. The openings 52, 54 may have adistance smaller than an outer diameter of the edge rods 30. The median28 may be tapered so that as the edge rods 30 are inserted into thegrooves 32, 34, the edge rods 30 are pushed deeper into the grooves 32,34. Once the edge rods 30 are disposed within the grooves 32, 34, theretaining walls 40 are spring closed over the edge rods 30 to retain theedge rods 30.

Referring now to FIGS. 9 and 10, the connector 22 includes the median 28which holds the edge rods 30 of adjacent panels 12-21 apart from eachother such that the panels 12-21 may rotate about each other withoutbinding. The edge rods 30 of adjacent panels 12-21 generally do not rubagainst each other so that the adjacent panels 12-21 may rotate freely.A back wall 60 of the connector 22 extends laterally outward from adistal end portion of the median 28. When the edge rods 30 are insertedinto the grooves 32 of the connector 22, the tapered median 28 pushesthe edge rods 30 deeper into the grooves 32, 34. The back wall 60 limitsthe insertion of the edge rods 30 beyond the median 28. The retainingwalls 40 are attached to opposed distal end portions of the back wall 60and define the grooves 32, 34. The retaining walls 40 curve around andapproach the proximal end portion of the median 28. The space betweenthe distal end portion 38 of the retaining wall 40 and the proximal endportion 62 of the median 28 define the openings 52, 54 of the grooves32, 34. Preferably, the width 64 (see FIG. 9) is less than a diameter 66of the edge rods 30. In this manner, once the edge rods 30 are disposedwithin the grooves 32, 34, the retaining walls 40 retain the edge rods30 within the grooves 32, 34. Moreover, the distal end portion 38extends to about a central axis of the edge rods 30. To assemble theenclosure 10, two edge rods 30 are inserted into the grooves 32, 34. Theconnector 22 is pushed or pulled in the direction of arrow 36 (see FIG.10) so as to rotate the connector 22 about axis 70 (see FIG. 9) in therotational direction shown by arrow 72. Both edge rods 30 are insertedor removed from the grooves 32, 34 at the same time. The direction ofmovement of the connector 22 with respect to the edge rods 30 occursgenerally in alignment with arrow 36. If a line 78 is drawn from thecenter 43 of the edge rods 30 parallel with respect to the direction ofarrow 36, the distal end portions 38 of the retaining walls 40 arepositioned medially past such line. Preferably, the distal end 74 of theretaining walls 40 is positioned past such line 78. Although thedrawings show the distal ends 74 of the retaining walls 40 extendingpast or medially between the lines 78 drawn from the center 43 of theedge rods 30, it is also contemplated that the distal ends 74 of theretaining walls 40 extend slightly shy of such lines 78. The exactposition of the distal ends 74 of the retaining walls 40 may bepositioned appropriately to withstand, prevent or mitigate removal ofthe edge rods 30 from the connector 22 in relation to the flexibility orresiliency of the retaining walls 40. The less resilient the retainingwalls 40, the more the distal ends 74 of the retaining walls 40 mustextend closer to or past the line emanating from the center 43 of theedge rods 30. Conversely, the more rigid or more resilient the retainingwalls 40, the distal ends 74 of the retaining walls 40 may be positionedshy of the line emanating from the center 43 of the edge rods 30.

The line 78 at the intersection of the distal end portion 38 of theretaining wall 40 defines the “bottom portion” of the grooves 32, 34.The grooves 32, 34 of the first and second distal end portions 44, 46are oriented in opposite directions. As such, the bottom portions of thegrooves 32, 34 of the first and second distal portions 44, 46 are alsolocated on opposite sides with respect to each other.

Referring now to FIG. 9, the chamfers 58 assist in spreading open theretaining walls 40 so as to allow receipt of the edge rods 30 into thegrooves 32, 34. More particularly, lateral ends 76 of the chamfer 58 maybe disposed on lateral sides of the central axis 43 of the edge rods 30.In this manner, as the connector 22 is rotated about axis 70 in thedirection of arrow 72 when inserting the edge rods into the grooves 32,34, the exterior surfaces of the edge rods 30 push against the chamfers58 to spread open the retaining walls 40 and aid in insertion of theedge rods 30 to the grooves 32, 34. The position of the distal endportions 38 or distal ends 74 of the retaining walls 40 at or about thebottom portion of the grooves 32, 34 as defined above mitigatewithdrawal of the rods 30 from the connector 22. As such, the connector22 may be described or characterized as a unidirectional connector thatallows insertion of the rods 30 into the grooves 32, 34 of the connector22 without mechanical aid and prevents withdrawal of the rods 32, 34from the connector 22 by hand.

Referring now to FIG. 11, the connector 22 may be utilized to attach aplurality of wire panels 100 a-h for forming a pen 102. Each of the wirepanels 100 may be rotatably attached to adjacent wire panels 100 a-h.The pen 102 shown in FIG. 11 is shown as having eight wire panels 100a-h. To collapse the pen 102, the wire panels 100 a-h may be collapsedupon each other and folded into an accordion configuration as shown inFIG. 11A. As shown in FIG. 11A, the swivel connectors 22 may havevarying widths to accommodate the thicknesses of the stacked wire panels100.

Referring now to FIG. 12, the connector 22 may be utilized to provide ahinge for a partition 104 such as in a hallway or stairwell to preventanimals from passing through but allowing people to open and close thepartition as desired. In particular, a first side of the partition 104may be attached to a structural member 106. The partition 104 mayinclude a vertical elongate wire member 108 which receives the connector22. The elongate wire member 108 is attached to the structural member106. A wire panel 110 may have a wire edge rod 112 also connected to theconnector 22. There may be a sufficient number of swivel connectors 22so that the wire panel 110 is sturdily held in the upright position. Thewire panel 110 may swivel about the wire connectors 22 about pivot axes114, 116. The wire panel 110 may be opened and closed as desired by aperson. The wire panel 110 may be locked in the closed position by latch118. The latch is mounted to structural member 120. To open thepartition 104, the latch 118 is disengaged from the wire panel 110 andthe wire panel 110 is pivoted.

The swivel connectors 22 described herein were illustrated in relationto a pet enclosure, a pet pen, and a partition. However, the dual axesswivel connectors 22 may be employed in other types of wire basedproducts and are not limited to those embodiments described herein. Theconnectors 22 may be utilized in any type of wire based product. By wayof example and not limitation, the wire panels or wire based walls neednot be fabricated entirely from wire. Rather, the panel or wall may besolid but only the portion of the panel or wall that connects to theconnectors 22 may have a cylindrical or wire rod configuration so thatthe wire rod configuration may be inserted into the first or secondgrooves of the connectors 22 as needed. The connectors 22 may beutilized in other configurations such as in connecting a plurality ofwire rods.

Referring now to FIGS. 13-17, the second embodiment of the dual axesswivel connector 100 is shown. The dual axes swivel connector 100includes a first clip 102 and a second clip 104. The first and secondclips 102, 104 may be identical to each other, but oriented in areversed orientation as shown in FIG. 13. Alternatively, the first andsecond clips 102 a, 104 a may be substantially similar to each other,but have various differences including but not limited to differences inflexibility/strength and shape as shown in FIG. 18. Referring back toFIGS. 13-17, the first and second clips 102, 104 may also be engaged toeach other to secure adjacent edge rods 30 of adjacent panel 12, 14, 16,18, 20, 21 to each other. The second embodiment of the dual axes swivelconnector 100 may replace the dual axes swivel connector 22 shown anddescribed in relation to FIGS. 1-12 and provide all of the same benefitsdescribed in relation to the first embodiment of the dual axes swivelconnector 22 as well as additional benefits described below.

The dual axes swivel connector 100 also has a first pivot axis 106 and asecond pivot axis 108. The first and second pivot axes 106, 108 areseparated by median 110 so that adjacent edge rods 30 of adjacent panels12-21 do not contact each other as the adjacent panels 12-21 are rotatedabout each other. Since the edge rods 30 of the adjacent panels 12-21 donot contact each other, the enclosure 10 does not bind as the enclosureis being traversed from the collapsed position to the erected positionand vice versa. Moreover, similar to the first embodiment of the dualaxes swivel connector 22, the dual axes swivel connector 100 may befabricated from a plastic material, whereas the various panels 12, 14,16, 18, 20 and 21 may be fabricated from a metallic material (e.g., wirerod). The plastic swivel connector 100 functions as a shock absorberreducing noise when the enclosure 10 is being transported in cars,trains, etc. (i.e., vibration induced environments). As will bediscussed further below, the swivel connector 100 provides even furtherpullout resistance than the dual axes swivel connector 22 since only oneedge rod 30 fits within an entry 112 (see FIG. 14A) of the clips 102,104. Additionally, similar to the dual axes swivel connector 22, thedual axes swivel connector 100 also pushes the edge rods 30 deeper intofirst and second grooves 114, 116 so that a distal edge 118 of retainingwalls 120 may be positioned at the center of the edge rods 30 to preventor mitigate withdrawal from the swivel connector 100. Additionally, theinner surface of the first and second grooves 114, 116 may have a flatsurface 128 (see FIG. 14A) to further mitigate withdrawal of the edgerods 30 from the swivel connector 100. Accordingly, the dual axes swivelconnector 100 may also be characterized as a unidirectional connector22.

Referring now to FIG. 13, the first and second clips 102, 104 may beidentical to each other. Accordingly, during manufacture of the dualaxes swivel connector 100, although there are two clips 102, 104, onlyone mold or unique configuration is necessary. The first clip 102 may bean identical copy of the second clip 104 except the orientations arereversed for assembly. The first clip 102 is flipped over as shown byarrow 122 in relation to the second clip 104. The median 110 may have aninner surface 122 (see FIG. 14A) which is curved that urges the edgerods 30 deeper into the grooves 114, 116 and also have a semi-circularconfiguration as shown in FIG. 14A. The curved inner surfaces 122 may becharacterized as having an inverted V shape configuration or taperedshape. The retaining walls 120 wrap around the edge rods 30 to retainthe edge rods 30 within the grooves 114, 116. The retaining walls 120preferably extend around the edge rods 30 until the distal edges 118 arealigned to a center 43 of the edge rods 30 when the edge rods 30 aredisposed within the first and second grooves 114, 116. The first andsecond grooves 114, 116 are generally parallel to each other as shown inFIG. 13. The axes 106, 108 of the first and second grooves 114, 116 maybe in the same plane 132. The distal edge 118 may still be characterizedas being aligned to the respective axes 106, 108 when the distal edge128 is aligned to the respective axes 106, 108 when a line 126perpendicular to the plane defined by the axes 106, 108 intersects thedistal edge 118. The distal edge 118 may be slightly shy of the line 126as shown in solid lines in FIG. 14A or past the line 126 as shown indash lines. Nonetheless, the distal edge 118 may still be characterizedas being aligned to the respective axes 106, 108. In FIG. 13, line 126is shown for axis 108, but not shown for axis 106 for purposes ofclarity. However, in FIG. 14A, line 126 for both axes 106, 108 for thefirst and second grooves 114, 116 are shown.

An inner surface 130 of the retaining walls 120 may have a generallycircular configuration which conforms to the inner surface 122 of themedian 110. As the inner surfaces 130 of the retaining walls 120approach the distal edge 118, the inner surface 130 may jog upward andhave a flat surface 128. The flat surface 128 may be parallel to theplane 132 defined by axes 106, 108. The flat surface 128 provides formore pullout resistance so that the edge rods 30 are less likely to bepulled out of the grooves 106, 108 after assembly. The reason is thatthe edge rod 30 applies a force 133 on the flat surface 128 of theretaining wall 120 that is generally normal to the plane 132. Since thesurface 128 is flat and parallel to the plane 132 and perpendicular tothe line 126, the edge rod 30 produces or applies a force 133 that isgenerally parallel to the line 126 on the flat surface 128 instead of aforce 135 that tends to spread open the retaining walls 120. If the flatsurface 128 were to be circular and conformed to the circularconfiguration of the inner surfaces 130, 122 then the edge rod wouldapply a force that is generally skewed with respect to the plane 132 soas to be likely to spread the retaining wall open compared to thegenerally normal force 133 discussed above.

To attach adjacent edge rods 30 of adjacent panels 12-21 to each other,one of the edge rods 30 as shown in FIG. 14 is inserted into one of thegrooves 106, 108 of the first part 102. Thereafter, the other edge rod30 of the other panel 12-21 is inserted into the other one of thegrooves 106, 108 of the first part 102. Thereafter, the second part issecured to the adjacent edge rods 30 of the adjacent panels 12-21 one byone, not simultaneously, as shown in FIG. 15. At this point, both thefirst and second parts 102, 104 of the connector 100 are secured toadjacent edge rods 30 of adjacent panels 12-21, but are not engaged toeach other. If the part 102 is twisted to remove the rods 30 from thefirst and second grooves 114, 116, then both rods 30 would be forcedthrough the entry 112 simultaneously. Due to the rigidity of theretaining walls 120, both rods 30 could not come out of the entry 112 atthe same time. To further add rigidity to the system, the first andsecond parts 102, 104 are engaged to each other. To this end, the firstand second parts 102, 104 are pushed toward each other as shown byarrows 134, 136 in FIG. 13. Extensions 138 of the first and second parts102, 104 are disposed between the retaining walls 120 of the second andfirst parts 104, 102. To do so, the extensions 138 must be lifted upslightly so that pawls 140 which engages recesses 142 of the other parts102, 104 can clear the retaining walls 120 of the other part 102, 104.The first and second parts 102, 104 are slid together until the pawls140 snaps into place in the recesses 142, as shown in FIG. 16. Aplurality of connectors 100 are fitted onto the adjacent edge rods 30 toallow the panels 12-21 to swivel or pivot with respect to each other andyet be strong enough to withstand stress from the animal and outsideforces. The swivel connector 100 allows an operator to collapse theenclosure 10 and provides all of the other benefits described above inrelation to the other embodiments of the connector.

As discussed above, the first and second parts 102, 104 have pawls 140which engage recesses 142 (see FIG. 13) to lock the first and secondparts together (see FIG. 16). The pawls 140 are formed on the distal endof the extension 138. The recesses 142 are formed on the proximal sideof the retaining walls 120 (see FIG. 16). The pawls 140 are shown asbeing received into the recesses 142 so that the pawls 140 do notprotrude out of the retaining walls 120. Rather, the pawls 140 are flushwith the retaining walls 120. However, it is also contemplated that norecesses 142 are formed in the retaining walls. In this instance, thepawls 140 extend over the proximal side of the retaining walls 120 andare not flush therewith.

The first and second clips 102, 104 discussed above were described asbeing identical to each other. However, it is also contemplated that thefirst and second clips 102, 104 may not be identical to each other. Byway of example and not limitation, one of the first and second clips102, 104 may have recesses 142 and no pawls 140, whereas the other onehas pawls 140 and no recesses 142. In another example, neither of thefirst and second clips 102, 104 have recesses but only one of the firstand second clips 102, 104 has pawls that extend over the retaining wallsof the of the other one of the first and second clips 102, 104.Additionally, the first and second parts 102 a, 104 a may be fabricatedfrom materials having different hardnesses and flexibility. By way ofexample and not limitation, the first clip 102 a may be fabricated froma harder material (e.g., BKV30) compared to the material from which thesecond clip 102 b is fabricated (e.g., Polypropylene 667A). Moreover, asshown in FIG. 18, the width 144 of the median 110 a may be narrowercompared to the width 146 of the median 110 b. Additionally, the innersurface 130 may have grooves 148 to strengthen the structure of clip 102b/retaining wall 120 and also to provide for a reverse hook design whichhelps in holding or locking the wire rods 30 securely in the first andsecond grooves 114, 116. Moreover, the retaining walls 120 extend closerto each other and provide for a smaller gap 112 a compared to the gap112 b of the first clip 102 a. During installation, the first clip 102 amay be attached to the wire rods 30 first. The first clip 102 a may bemore rigid but has a looser fit with the wire rods 30 than the secondclip 104 a to allow the wire rods 30 to enter into entry 112 b of thefirst clip 102 a and into the grooves 114, 116 of the first clip 102 a.Thereafter, the second clip 104 a may be attached to the wire rods 30.The second clip 104 a has a tighter tolerance or fit with the wire rods30 compared to the first clip 102. However, as discussed above, thesecond clip 104 a is fabricated from a material which is more flexiblethan the material from which the first clip 102 a is fabricated andflexible enough to allow the retaining walls 120 of the first clip 102 ato flex so that the wire rods 30 can be inserted into the entry 112 aand the grooves 114, 116. The flex of the second clip 104 a allows theretaining walls 120 to bend and allow the wire rods 30 to be urged intothe grooves 114, 116. The second clip 104 a can be interlocked with thefirst clip 102 a as discussed extensively above. The tight fit of thesecond clip 104 a to the wire rods provides for smooth pivoting actionfrom the connector (i.e., first and second clips). The rigidity of thefirst clip 102 a adds strength to the connector. The first and secondclips 102 a, 104 a provides for a secure connection. The first andsecond clips 102 a, 104 a may also have all the features discussed abovein relation to first and second parts 102, 104.

Referring now to FIG. 17, a side view of a variation of the first andsecond parts 102, 104 of the second embodiment of the swivel connector100 is shown. In this variant of the second embodiment, the innersurfaces of the first and second grooves 114, 116 may still have flatsurfaces 128 to mitigate withdrawal of the edge rods 30 from the firstand second parts 102, 104. However, the median 110 may be wider fordisposing the adjacent edge rods 30 further apart from each othercompared to the edge rods 30 disposed within the first and second parts102, 104 as shown and described in relation to FIGS. 13-16. Also, entry112 is wider than two diameters of the edge rod 30.

The above description is given by way of example, and not limitation.Given the above disclosure, one skilled in the art could devisevariations that are within the scope and spirit of the inventiondisclosed herein, including various ways of pivoting the connectors 22to allow offset of the various panels. Further, the various features ofthe embodiments disclosed herein can be used alone, or in varyingcombinations with each other and are not intended to be limited to thespecific combination described herein. Thus, the scope of the claims isnot to be limited by the illustrated embodiments.

What is claimed is:
 1. A collapsible enclosure, comprising: a firstswivel connector; a second swivel connector; a third swivel connector; afourth swivel connector; a top panel; a bottom panel; a first sidepanel; a second side panel; wherein each of the first, second, third,and fourth swivel connectors comprises a first distal end portion and asecond distal end portion, each of the first and second distal endportions having retaining walls attached to opposed distal ends of aback wall to define a first groove and a second groove, the first grooveis parallel to the second groove, the first and second grooves of eachof the first and second distal end portions are separated by a median,wherein spaces between distal end portions of the retaining walls and aproximal end portion of the median define groove openings of the firstand second grooves, wherein the medians of the first and second distalend portions are connected together by a bridge, the groove openings ofthe first distal end portion faces a direction opposite from a directionof the groove openings of the second distal end portion, wherein thefirst and second grooves of the first distal end portion are coaxial tothe first and second grooves of the second distal end portion,respectively, wherein the first grooves of the first and second distalend portions of the first swivel connector are configured tosimultaneously receive a first side edge rod of the top panel in anassembled state, the second grooves of the first and second distal endportions of the first swivel connector are configured to simultaneouslyreceive a top edge rod of the first side panel in the assembled state,wherein the first grooves of the first and second distal end portions ofthe second swivel connector are configured to simultaneously receive afirst side edge rod of the bottom panel in the assembled state, thesecond grooves of the first and second distal end portions of the secondswivel connector are configured to simultaneously receive a bottom edgerod of the first side panel in the assembled state, wherein the firstgrooves of the first and second distal end portions of the third swivelconnector are configured to simultaneously receive a second side edgerod of the top panel, the second grooves of the first and second distalend portions of the third swivel connector are configured tosimultaneously receive a top edge rod of the second side panel in theassembled state, wherein the first grooves of the first and seconddistal end portions of the fourth swivel connector are configured tosimultaneously receive a second side edge rod of the bottom panel in theassembled state, the second grooves of the first and second distal endportions of the fourth swivel connector are configured to simultaneouslyreceive a bottom edge rod of the second side panel in the assembledstate, wherein the enclosure is configured to be traversed to a foldedconfiguration wherein the first, second, third and fourth swivelconnectors enable the first and second side panels to pivot to allow thefirst and second side panels to be positioned at different elevationswith respect to the bottom panel so that the first and second sidepanels and the top panel may be stacked upon each other.
 2. Theenclosure of claim 1 wherein the first side panel is disposed betweenthe second side panel and the bottom panel when the enclosure is in thefolded configuration, and the top panel is disposed between the firstand second side panels when the enclosure is in the foldedconfiguration.
 3. The enclosure of claim 1 wherein the bottom edge rodof the first side panel is at a higher elevation compared to the bottomedge rod of the second side panel when the enclosure is in the foldedconfiguration and wherein the first and second side edge rods of thebottom panel are at the same elevation.
 4. The enclosure of claim 1wherein the first and second side panels and the top and bottom panelsare fabricated from a metallic material and the first swivel connectoris fabricated from a plastic material for mitigating noise.
 5. Anenclosure for an animal comprising: a plurality of wire panels; and aplurality of swivel connectors, each swivel connector having a firstdistal end portion and a second distal end portion, each of the firstand second distal end portions having retaining walls attached toopposed distal end portions of a back wall to define a first groove anda second groove, the first groove is parallel to the second groove, thefirst and second grooves of each of the first and second distal endportions are separated by a median, wherein spaces between the retainingwalls and a proximal end portion of the median define groove openings ofthe first and second grooves, wherein the medians of the first andsecond distal end portions are connected together by a bridge, thegroove openings of the first distal end portion faces a directionopposite from a direction of the groove openings of the second distalend portion, wherein the first and second grooves of the first distalend portion are coaxial to the first and second grooves of the seconddistal end portion, respectively.
 6. The enclosure of claim 5 whereinthe plurality of wire panels are stacked upon each other when theenclosure is traversed to a folded configuration.